Sudan: Arms Transfers

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What discussions they have held with the Polish and Czech Governments about the possible diversion to Sudan of arms sold to Yemen; and whether they consider that the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Principles Governing Conventional Arms Transfers of November 1993 need to be amended to strengthen monitoring of the end use of arms exports to prevent diversions to third countries and to ensure that exported equipment is used only on the conditions under which the export licence has been granted.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Foreign Secretary raised this with his Czech counterpart. Our Embassy in Prague has also discussed this with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Czech Government plan to proceed with the sale of former Czech army tanks to Yemen but have assured us that they are taking great care to ensure that Yemen is the end user and that there is no diversion to a third country. We have not held discussions with the Poles as we are not aware that any further sales are planned.
	The OSCE Principles Governing Conventional Arms Transfers commit OSCE members to avoid transfers which would be likely to be diverted within the recipient country or re-exported for purposes contrary to the aims of the principles. It is up to individual OSCE members to decide how they can best achieve this. Post-export monitoring may be less effective in preventing diversion than a refusal to allow an export if a risk of diversion is determined to exist. The UK has taken steps to promote the exchange of information on end-users of concern in fora such as the Wassenaar Arrangement in order to assist the process of risk assessment by national authorities.

Austria and the EU

Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any law or laws have been broken by Austria which would justify the imposition of sanctions by the 14 other member states of the European Union, including the United Kingdom; and, if so, what they are.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The measures introduced by the 14 member states of the EU were intended to send a signal of concern over the inclusion of a far-Right party in the new Austrian Government. Along with all our EU partners we are committed to act against xenophobia and discrimination and have the obligation to express concern where we see the danger of this arising.

Turkey: HADEP Mayors

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will discuss with the Government of Turkey the recent arrests of the elected mayors of Diyarbakir, Bingol and Siirt and ascertain their current situation.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The EU troika made a demarche in Ankara on 24 February to register our concern at the arrest of the three HADEP mayors and to ask for more detailed information on the reasons for the arrests. The mayors have now been released and reinstated to their posts pending trial. We welcome this development and will continue to monitor closely their situation.

Turkey: Landmines

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they evaluate the claim by HADEP (Peoples Democracy Party) that landmines are preventing former inhabitants from returning to their deserted villages in south-east Turkey.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are aware that landmines in and around villages in south-east Turkey pose a serious threat to those living in the area, killing 13 civilians during 1999.
	We are unable however to assess who originally laid these mines and whether they are preventing former inhabitants from returning to their villages.

Turkey: Landmines

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether Turkey has signed or ratified the Convention against Anti-Personnel Mines.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No.

Turkey: PKK Statement

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are studying the statement of 9 February from the Presidential Council of the Kurdish Workers Party.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We have noted the statement on 9 February by the PKK Presidential Council. We welcome its decision to end the armed struggle. The Embassy in Ankara is closely following developments in the light of this and earlier statements by the PKK.

Turkey: Guclukonak Massacre

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ask for an impartial and public investigation into the Guclukonak massacre on 15 January 1996 in south-east Turkey.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are concerned that 11 civilians were killed in an attack on a minibus in Guclukonak in January 1996. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) was suspected of carrying out the attack but a human rights delegation contended at the time that the security forces were responsible.
	We discussed this incident with the Turkish authorities in 1996. We believe that transparency and openness on human rights can only be helpful. We have no plans to request a fresh inquiry.

Kosovo: Administration

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will propose rationalisation of responsibilities in Kosovo, at present divided between UNMIK, KFOR, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Transitional Administrative Council.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: UNSCR 1244, which established the international presences in Kosovo, states that the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General shall lead the civilian presence. The UN Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK) has components led by the European Union and the OSCE, as well as the UN elements. We see no need to change this structure. Our priority is to ensure that UNMIK has the support it needs to carry out its mandate. The Kosovo Transitional Council is an advisory body and the Interim Administrative Council is a forum for discussions between Kosovo Albanians, Kosovo Serbs and UNMIK.

Kosovo: Trepca Mine

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will use their best efforts to restore production at the Trepca mine in northern Kosovo, with part of the revenue being used for the benefit of Kosovo as a whole.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The United Nations Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) is developing a business plan for the Trepca complex. UNMIK has announced its intention to run state property for the benefit of all communities in Kosovo.

Kosovo: Issue of Travel Documents

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether UNMIK is now in a position to issue travel documents to inhabitants of Kosovo who need to travel outside their country; and, if not, whether they will ask for this matter to be expedited.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: UNMIK intends to introduce travel documents for residents of Kosovo as soon as practicable. These do not have implications for the status of Kosovo but reflect the practical necessity of providing people resident in Kosovo with acceptable documentation in advance of the UN Mission completing a comprehensive registration exercise. Many Kosovo Albanians had passports and other documents destroyed by the Serbs.

Torture Convention

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which states have so far ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: this information is readily available on the Internet at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The address of the site is www.unchr.ch.

Police Pursuit Driver Training

Lord Campbell of Croy: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many police forces have accepted the Association of Chief Police Officers' police pursuit driving document issued in September 1998; and
	How many police forces have not accepted the Association of Chief Police Officers' police pursuit training document issued in September 1998; and how many are still considering their position.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: This is an operational matter for the police service, but I understand from the Association of Chief Police Officers that its Police Pursuit Driving Training report of September 1998 has been accepted in principle by all of the 43 police forces in England and Wales.
	The report contained a total of 33 recommendations, a large number of which could have been adopted by individual forces immediately, while others which required progressing at a national level could not. Examples of these include the development of driving simulator technology appropriate to police application (recommendation 21), and the police service is currently working alongside the Police Scientific Development Branch to achieve this goal. Another is where core training courses were to be established (recommendations 11, 12 and 13) and work in this regard is due to be completed by August this year.

Prison Service Website

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the design of the Prison Service website conforms to the recommendations in the Cabinet Office guidelines Framework policy and guidelines for the use, management and design of public sector websites.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Prison Service's website went live on 21 May 1999, some six months prior to the publication of the Cabinet Office guidelines. It does not conform 100 per cent to these guidelines but does conform to the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) HyperText Markup Language 3.2 specification. This ensures that the site's functionality is available to as many as possible, including the visually impaired for whom there is a text only version. The Prison Service's website, therefore, conforms to the spirit, if not the letter, of the Cabinet Office guidelines.

General Pinochet

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 23 February (WA 31), whether they have a responsibility for General Pinochet's health and therefore should not wait for representations to be made to them but should take steps to ensure they are automatically informed about his health.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The police who were guarding Senator Pinochet would have alerted the Home Office to any significant development such as a transfer to hospital. More generally, it was open to Senator Pinochet's legal representatives to inform the Home Office of any change in his state of health.

M25 Murder Case Decision

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, in the light of the recent decision by the European Court of Human Rights in relation to the M25 murder case, they will expedite the appeal procedure for other similar cases.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Criminal Cases Review Commission referred the cases of Michael Davis, Raphael Rowe and Randolph Johnson to the Court of Appeal on 7 April 1999. It will be for the court to decide in due course whether their convictions should be quashed. The Government play no part in the listing of such appeals. The Criminal Cases Review Commission is an independent body and Ministers could not intervene in the determination of any similar cases that were being considered by it.

Prison Service: New Regime Orders

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	(a) when the new Prison Service order on regimes for women will be issued; and whether it will be published; (b) whether the Prison Service order on regimes for juveniles has been published; and, if not, when it will be; (c) when the new Prison Service standard on mothers with children in prisons will be available; and whether it will assert the paramountcy of the best interests of the child.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: A Prison Service standard on regimes is due to be piloted in September 2000 and issued in February 2001. It will cover regimes for all groups of prisoners including women. The Prison Service order on regimes for young men under 18 years old was published in July 1999 and the Prison Service order on regimes for young women under 18 years old was published in February 2000.
	The Prison Service order on the management of mother and baby units and the application process was published in February 2000 and states that the best interest of the child is the primary consideration at every level of policymaking as well as when considering individual situations. The Prison Service order was developed to deliver the majority of the recommendations in the Report of a Review of Principles, Policies and Procedures on Mothers and Babies/Children in Prison (Her Majesty's Prison Service July 1999), which were accepted in the Prison Service response and action plan (December 1999), copies of which are available in the Library. A Prison Service standard on mother and baby units is currently being piloted and will be published in May 2000.

Female Foreign Nationals in Prison for Drug Offences

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many non-British women were serving sentences for drug offences in England and Wales at the most recent date; and what was the average length of their sentence.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The latest available information is for 31 December 1999. On that date there were 312 female foreign nationals in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales for drug offences serving an average sentence of 6.7 years. Information on nationality by offence is published in Prison statistics England and Wales (Table 6.4 of the 1998 edition, Cm 4430), a copy of which is in the Library.

Women Offenders: Suspended Sentences

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they consider greater use of suspended sentences to be appropriate (whether or not in combination with other sentences) for female offenders, particularly for non-violent crimes.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Home Office and Her Majesty's Prison Service have established a joint working group to consider strategy on women offenders, including the range of sentences available.
	The Government believe that the courts should have available to them a range of sentences suitable for dealing with all offences and offenders, both men and women. We believe that appropriate sentences can help reduce reoffending and protect the public.
	Suspended sentences are currently available only in cases where imprisonment of not more than two years is appropriate and where exceptional circumstances justify suspension. Decisions as to the appropriate sentence in a particular case, including decisions as to whether circumstances are exceptional, are for the courts. The Government are considering whether greater use might be made of suspended sentences, by themselves or in combination with community penalties or supervision, for particular types of offender.

Sentencing of Women

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will ask the Court of Appeal to issue guidelines on the sentencing of women; and, if not, why not.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has no power to ask the Court of Appeal to frame guidelines. Powers in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 empower him to direct the Sentencing Advisory Panel to propose to the Court of Appeal that it issue guidelines for specific offences or categories of offence. This power does not, however, extend to making directions that the panel should propose guidelines for particular categories of offender.

Electronic Monitoring of Offenders

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they intend to introduce measures to tag stalkers and wife beaters electronically; and, if so, whether such measures will apply to female stalkers and husband beaters.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Crime and Court Services Bill will seek to introduce wider use of electronic monitoring and will create new exclusion requirements that could be particularly helpful in relation to domestic violence and stalking. These measures will allow the electronic monitoring of both offenders sentenced to community penalties and prisoners released on licence who have been prohibited from entering a particular place or places, which could include the home of a victim. The monitoring arrangements will operate irrespective of gender.

Domestic Violence

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they can confirm press reports that they intend to introduce a major programme to tackle violence against women by men; and whether it is also intended that identical measures will be introduced at the same time to tackle violence against men by women.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government condemn unequivocally all forms of violence. The law treats equally violence whether committed by men or women.
	According to the British Crime Survey, domestic violence by women against men is statistically as common as violence by men against women (both are 4.2 per cent in the last year). But women are more likely to have been assaulted three or more times; are twice as likely to have been injured by a partner in the last year; and are three times as likely to have suffered frightening threats.
	Soon after coming into office, the Government launched a campaign against domestic violence, Break the Chain, and that campaign treated violence by men against women equally with violence by women against men.
	Last summer, the Government published a paper, Living Without Fear: an integrated approach to tackling violence against women, which set out their initiatives and commitments in this area. That work naturally includes our campaign against domestic violence. But this does not mean to say that the Government see domestic violence as only about men as perpetrators and women as victims.

Immigration Rules, Paragraph 320(18)

Lord Dholakia: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What statutory provisions contain the current rules barring offenders who have served prison sentences of over 12 months from entering the United Kingdom and the making of exceptions to these rules; and
	Whether outside organisations with an interest in the resettlement of offenders will be consulted in the course of the review of the rules barring ex-prisoners from entering the United Kingdom to work; and whether a public consultation document will be issued before final decisions are taken.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The rules regulating the entry into and stay in the United Kingdom of foreign nationals subject to immigration control are laid down by the Secretary of State for the Home Department under Section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971.
	Paragraph 320(18) of the Immigration Rules (HC 395) provides, inter alia, that, where a person has been convicted of a criminal offence outside the United Kingdom which would have been punishable with imprisonment of 12 months or more if the conduct concerned had occurred in the United Kingdom, refusal of leave to enter or an entry clearance should normally follow unless admission is justified for strong compassionate reasons or other exceptional circumstances justifying the exercise of discretion. If a person's conviction is spent under the terms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, the provisions of paragraph 320(18) do not apply. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary is reviewing the operation of the rules and practice relating to admission of persons with previous convictions, but he presently does not think it will be necessary to consult organisations of the kind referred to in the light of the effect of the 1974 Act. He will report the outcome of this review to Parliament when it is completed.

Asylum Decisions in Europe

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 23 February (H.L. Deb., col. 225), whether they consider that (a) every asylum seeker in Europe should have access to a fair and effective decision-making procedure which is independent, impartial, well-informed and sufficiently resourced; (b) reasoned decisions should be taken promptly; and (c) asylum and refuge should be accorded both to refugees within the meaning of the 1951 convention and to others to whom European states owe a duty of protection.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government's policy towards asylum issues in Europe is aimed at ensuring that those in genuine need of protection receive it, while those who are misusing asylum procedures in order to circumvent immigration controls are dealt with quickly and firmly. The Amsterdam Treaty requires measures to be adopted that establish minimum standards for the asylum process, including protection outside the 1951 convention on refugees. The United Kingdom will be in a position to decide whether or not to participate in such measures.

Blantyre House Prison

Baroness David: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is planned to change the role of Blantyre House prison in Kent to a juvenile institution; and, if so, what is the rationale for this in view of the prison's record of successful work with adult long-term prisoners.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: I refer the noble Baroness to the reply of my right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Home Department (Mr Boateng) in another place (House of Commons Official Report, col. 48W on 7 February).

Asylum Seekers from Council of Europe Member States

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many citizens of member states of the Council of Europe have sought asylum within the United Kingdom during the last three years.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The available information is given in the table. Information regarding certain member states of the Council is not separately identifiable within the statistics.
	
		Asylum applications (1) received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants. 1997 to 1999, nationals of member states of the Council of Europe
		
			  1997 1998 1999 
			 Albania 445 560 1,310 
			 Bulgaria 545 165 80 
			 Croatia 150 335 1,780 
			 Cyprus 495 90 20 
			 Czech Republic 240 515 1,790 
			 Estonia 20 115 455 
			 Georgia 30 15 70 
			 Hungary * * 15 
			 Latvia 140 520 515 
			 Lithuania 1,010 1,300 615 
			 Macedonia 20 50 90 
			 Moldova 20 25 180 
			 Poland 565 1,585 1,860 
			 Romania 605 1,015 1,985 
			 Russia 180 185 685 
			 Slovakia 290 835 70 
			 Slovenia 25 15 5 
			 Turkey 1,445 2,015 2,850 
			 Ukraine 490 370 755 
		
	
	(1)Figures rounded to nearest 5, with '*' = 1 or 2.

Strategic Airlift Requirement

Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many C170 large aircraft will be leased or purchased from the United States for United Kingdom strategic lift capability; and when they will be in service.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: I assume the noble Lord is referring to the C17 aircraft. We have not yet reached any decisions on the type of aircraft that will be procured to fulfil our strategic lift requirement. We are continuing to assess the proposals for both our short-term and long-term airlift requirements and hope to be in a position to make a decision in the early part of this year.

General Pinochet's Arrest: Effect on Exports to Chile

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they maintain that British exports to Chile have not been affected by the arrest of General Pinochet, when Marconi Marine's Yarrow Yard has been excluded by the Chilean Navy from a £500 million order for Type 23 Frigates.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave him on 10 January 2000 (Official Report, col. WA 72).

FV430 Armoured Personnel Carriers

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the handbrake of the Army's FV430 range of armoured personnel carrier is: (a) separate from the vehicle's service braking and steering system; and (b) compliant with the requirements of the construction and use regulations; and if not, why not.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: For the purposes of construction and use regulation 16, the FV430 is considered to be a "Tracked Heavy Motor Car, first use before 1st January 1968".
	The FV430 handbrake is not separate from the vehicle's service braking and steering system. The handbrake function is achieved by securing the tiller-actuated service braking and steering system in the ON position by means of a ratchet mechanism. This arrangement complies with regulation 16, schedule 3, number 16 in that the parking brake (hand brake) "is so designed and constructed that . . . It can set so, as in the case of track laying vehicle, to lock the tracks". However, schedule 3, number 7 requires that "the application of any means of operation of a braking system shall not affect or operate the pedal or hand lever of any other means of operation". In this respect FV430 is not compliant and is operated under the terms of an exemption (the Motor Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) General Order 1979 (SI 1979 No 1198), Part II, Article 6) which authorises the Secretary of State for Defence to use specified vehicles notwithstanding that such vehicles do not comply in all respects with the requirements of the construction and use regulations.

IMPACT

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the role of the Ministry of Defence's IMPACT data cell.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: IMPACT was the Industry and MoD Programme to Accelerate CALS (Continuous Acquisition and Life-Cycle Support) implementation Today. The purpose was to manage the introduction of electronic information exchange and sharing to support the acquisition process for defence equipment programmes. The IMPACT team comprised part-time members from both MoD and industry who were managed jointly by MoD and the UK CALS Industry Council (UKCIC).
	The programme originated in January 1996 from a MoD and UKCIC combined top-level seminar to discuss the way forward for defence procurement in the information age. The seminar led to agreement between MoD and UKCIC on six issues which needed to be taken forward. These were the procurement process and value for money; CALS in legacy projects; utilising information technology; standards; data protection; and data management.
	A joint working group of three industry and three MoD personnel was established to progress the work. Each of the six issues above was examined in detail and the working group identified a number of common themes which ran through them. From these common themes a work plan was developed based upon seven individual projects.
	With the introduction of Smart procurement, the IMPACT work took on a much broader perspective. Consequently, a full-time joint MoD and industry team, now called the Joint Enterprise Integration Task Force, has been established to manage the introduction of a secure shared data environment for the defence sector.
	The programme of work is directed by a Joint CALS Steering Group comprising the Chief of Defence Procurement, Chief of Defence Logistics, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability) and three senior managers from the UK defence industry.

Landrovers: MoD Use in UK

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many Landrovers issued to Ministry of Defence units in the United Kingdom are (a) left-hand drive and (b) right-hand drive.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The number of Landrovers issued to Ministry of Defence units for use in the United Kingdom is 11,261, of which 1,091 are left-hand drive and 10,170 right-hand drive vehicles. An additional 53 left-hand drive vehicles are held in storage as part of the attrition fleet and would not normally be issued to UK mainland units.

Landrovers: MoD Use in UK

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many accidents have involved Landrovers issued to Ministry of Defence units for use in the United Kingdom which are (a) left-hand drive and (b) right-hand drive.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The total number of accidents that have involved MoD Landrovers in the United Kingdom between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 1999 was 1,199, of which 91 were left-hand drive and 1,108 right-hand drive vehicles. As at 24 February 2000, a total of 11,261 Landrovers were issued to mainland UK units, of which 10,170 were right-hand drive and 1,091 were left-hand drive.

Landrovers: MoD Use in UK

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the accident rate compared to distance travelled for Landrovers issued to Ministry of Defence units for use in the United Kingdom which are (a) left-hand drive; and (b) right-hand drive.

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Based on a planned utilisation rate of 10,000 miles per Landrover vehicle per year, for the period 1 January 1999 to 31 December 1999 there was one accident per every 93,920 miles travelled. This equates to one accident per every 119,890 miles travelled for left-hand drive vehicles and one accident for every 91,787 miles travelled for right-hand drive vehicles.

Miners' Compensation for Bronchitis and Emphysema

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the arrangements for payment to those who suffer from bronchitis and emphysema as a result of employment underground, and the operation of the monitoring group, have been successful.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The arrangements to pay compensation are now getting fully under way. The handling arrangement, agreed last September with solicitors acting for the claimants, sets out procedures aimed to settle all 100,000 plus respiratory disease claims within two to three years.
	Based on the initial spirometry test, we have offered 6,500 expedited payments, of which 1,500 have been accepted and 1,500 rejected. We are awaiting responses from solicitors on the remainder. In the meantime interim payments are being made wherever possible. To date, we have paid over £50 million in damages to ex-miners and their families.
	For the full medical assessment process 17 centres have been established and it is aimed to have set up a further eight by the end of March. The first full assessments are now being completed and we aim to have in place the capacity to complete 2,500 assessments per month by the end of March. The extent to which these can run at capacity will depend on the speed with which solicitors send in completed claims questionnaires and mandates and the speed with which records can be collected from GPs and hospitals.
	The Government remain determined to pay money to deserving miners and their families as quickly as possible, but we need the co-operation of all involved parties to achieve that aim.
	The monitoring group has been very helpful. There have been three very useful meetings with it and a fourth is scheduled for the end of March. In the meantime, group members have been holding discussions with the Government's agents and contractors as well as firms of solicitors in an attempt to identify problems with the system and ways in which the process can be speeded up.

Miners' Compensation for Bronchitis and Emphysema

Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements have been made and what financial support has been provided or is planned in regard to administrative and legal costs relating to the claims for compensation of former mineworkers suffering from bronchitis or emphysema or their dependants; and whether it is expected that their legal advisers will take a significant share of any payments awarded under this scheme.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government, in agreement with solicitors representing the claimants, are paying fixed costs, as set out in the claims handling agreement, plus reasonable disbursements, to all solicitors in respect of successful claimants. The Government have also agreed to pay certain costs relating to client care for all claims, including those that are unsuccessful. In addition, the Government will be paying for the costs of lung tests, medical consultations and the collection of records for every claimant who chooses to have his claim assessed, regardless of the outcome.
	Solicitors are not prohibted from charging a success fee. It is entirely a matter for the individual solicitors whether they choose to charge on this basis and we understand that some firms are doing so, while others have chosen not to. However, we would hope that they would take account of the Govenment's agreement to meet certain costs for unsuccessful claims. We have always made it clear that our primary concern is to see that miners are properly compensated for the injuries that they have suffered and we would hope that solicitors who represent them would share the same aim.

Radiocommunications Agency: Issue of Telecom Licences

The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the recent decision of the Radiocommunications Agency to delay issuing new telecom licences for microwave technology is consistent with the Chancellor of the Exchequer's determination to reduce the cost of access to the Internet.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Radiocom-munications Agency consulted on whether to delay the issue of new licences for one frequency band to take account of the imminent consultation on another related frequency band. However, noting the stated preference of the respondees, the Radiocommunications Agency has decided not to delay the licensing procedure.

Minority Ethnic Communities: Health Department Strategy

Baroness Uddin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What strategies the Department of Health has in place to meet the needs of minority ethnic communities generally; what proportion are focused on meeting the needs of religious and faith communities; and, of those, what proportion are focused on Muslim communities.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health's strategy for meeting the needs of minority ethnic communities is to mainstream race equality issues into all aspects of its work, including policy development, NHS and social care service delivery and workforce issues. This approach was set out in The Race Equality Agenda of the Department of Health, published in January, and copies have been placed in the Library. Staff will be equipped with the skills they need to develop and deliver services which meet the cultural, religious and linguistic needs of local black and minority ethnic populations.

Income Support

Baroness Barker: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What would be the capital limits for income support if they had been uprated annually since introduction by (a) prices, (b) earnings and (c) the higher of prices earnings; how much it would cost to uprate them to these levels; and how many more people aged 60 or over would become eligible for income support.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The information is in the table.
	
		April 2000 Value of Income Support Capital Limits, Caseload and Expenditure Changes if Uprated since Date Introduced
		
			 Uprated by Lower/Child's (£'s) Higher (£'s) Extra Caseload (000's) Increased costs (£ million) 
			 Prices 4,701 11,382 15 20 
			 Earnings 5,728 12,798 30 45 
			 Best(1) 5,817 12,998 30 50 
		
	
	Notes:
	(i) Prices are rounded to the nearest pound, caseloads to the nearest 5,000 and expenditure to the nearest £5 million. The caseload increases are by number of claims rather than total numbers of people affected. The results are shown for uprating by prices, earnings and the best of either for every year since introduction until April 2000.
	(ii) For income-related benefits the ROSSI index (retail prices Index less rent, local taxes and mortgage Interest payments) as published by the Office of National Statistics.
	(iii) Average Earnings Index Whole Economy (Non Seasonally Adjusted) as published by the Office of National Statistics.
	(1) The RPI has been used as the basis for increasing benefits to produce a better off comparison of prices or earnings.

Income Support

Baroness Barker: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What would be the cost if the capital limit for income support for people aged 60 or over was increased from a lower limit of £3,000 and an upper limit of £8,000 to one limit of (a) £16,000, (b) £20,000, (c) £40,000 and (d) £50,000; and how many more people aged 60 or over would become eligible for income support at these levels.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The information is in the table.
	
		
			 Limit (£000) Floaters on to IS (000's) Total IS Costs (£ millions) Total IRB cost (£ millions) 
			 16 55 90 240 
			 20 70 110 310 
			 40 105 160 495 
			 50 115 175 535 
		
	
	Note:
	Caseloads are rounded to the nearest 5,000, and expenditure to the nearest £5 million. The floaters-on are by number of claims rather than total numbers of people affected. The floaters on excludes residential care and nursing homes and residential allowance cases. Totals may differ due to rounding.

Disability Living Allowance

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What was the total amount by which entitlement to disability living allowance went unclaimed by disabled people due to low take-up in the latest year for which figures are available; and what percentage of anticipated total expenditure on the allowance went unclaimed.[HL
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Estimates based on the 1996-97 Family Resources Survey suggested that take up of disability living allowance (DLA) at that time ranged from 30 to 50 per cent for the care component and from 50 to 70 per cent for the mobility component. While it is reasonable to assume that it is normally less severely disabled people, likely to receive smaller awards, who do not claim, it is not possible to estimate reliably the total additional expenditure which would occur if everyone with a potential entitlement to DLA were to make a successful claim. It follows that, although actual expenditure on DLA in 1998-99 was about 7 per cent below the 1998 Budget forecast, this shortfall cannot be related to the amount of potentially unclaimed benefit.

Disability Benefits Underspend

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What investigations they have undertaken into the reasons for the underspend on disability benefits of £754 million reported by the National Audit Office; and what action they have taken since receiving the report.[HL
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The figure of £754 million in the National Audit Office's report is the difference between forecast and actual expenditure on attendance allowance, disability living allowance, invalid care allowance and severe disablement allowance in 1998-99. This was because, although the number of people receiving disability benefits and total expenditure on these benefits had continued to increase, these increases were at a slower rate than expected. An important reason for this change has been improvements to the management of the benefits, for example the safeguarding project where supplementary evidence is sought for all claims involving DLA higher rate mobility component.
	Although the £754 million is not therefore an estimate of unclaimed benefit, it is important to ensure those who are entitled to benefits are able to claim them with a degree of confidence. At the time the National Audit Office's report was published we had already initiated measures to improve the take-up of attendance allowance and disability living allowance through increased public confidence in decisions on entitlement, and these measures continue. This will also open the way for more people to receive invalid care allowance.
	Severe disablement allowance fails to help those it was intended to help and the changes we are introducing from April 2001 will concentrate resources on young people who have never had an opportunity to work and build up a contribution record.

Northern Ireland: Public Expenditure on Public Transport

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much public money is spent on public transport per head of the population in Northern Ireland; and how this compares with the similar calculation per head of the population in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: Public expenditure on public transport per head of the population is expected to be about £21 in Northern Ireland in 1999-2000. A comparative figure is not available for Great Britain. However, the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 1999-2000 outlines the following identifiable general government expenditure per head for the period 1997-98 in the category Roads and Transport:
	
		Roads and Transport £ per head
		
			 Country £ 
			 England 149 
			 Scotland 172 
			 Wales 151 
			 Northern Ireland 112

Northern Ireland Railway System: Investment

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to invest in the railway system in Northern Ireland in the next five years; and whether plans include funding for new rolling stock.[HL
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: The planned level of investment in the railway system in Northern Ireland over the next two financial years is shown in the table below. Investment plans include £10 million for new rolling stock.
	
		
			 Year £ Investment 
			 2000-01 27.1m 
			 2001-02 10.2m 
		
	
	There are no public expenditure plans available for the period beyond the financial years 2001-02.

Northern Ireland: Transport from North Down to the Centre of Belfast

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to introduce a rapid transit system based on rail or bus from North Down to the centre of Belfast.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: There are no plans to introduce a rapid transit system based on rail or bus from North Down to the centre of Belfast.

Welsh Assembly

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any mechanism exists to enable the people of Wales to require the Government to hold a referendum to decide whether the Welsh Assembly should continue; and if not, whether they will introduce legislation to provide such a mechanism.

Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: There is no provision for this in the Government of Wales Act. The Government have no intention of changing that position: indeed, I understand there is a consensus across all parties in Wales to make the Assembly work.